PubliCare

What PubliCare does

PubliCare GmbH is a privately held German homecare distributor headquartered in Cologne that supplies prescribed medical aids and nutritional therapy products to patients across Germany in three primary categories: stoma care (colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy), incontinence care (pads, pants, catheters), and medical nutrition (enteral, parenteral, oral supplements), with wound care and pediatric lines as secondary offerings. The company maintains an inventory of over 4,000 articles from 20 manufacturers in a Cologne distribution warehouse and fulfills orders through direct home delivery via DHL. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring prescription-based supply billed directly to statutory health insurers (gesetzliche Krankenkassen), supplemented by bundled Hilfsmittelpauschale (per-case rate) contracts with select insurers, secondary professional training fees from the WissWerk continuing-education platform, and minor nutrition research collaboration work. Customers include individual patients (the end users), physicians (prescribers), clinics and ambulatory nursing services (referral and training partners), and statutory health insurers (payors). Distribution and acquisition are mediated through a nationwide specialist field force of Pflegefachkr\u00e4fte (Stomatherapeuten, Urotherapeuten) who consult patients in-hospital pre-discharge and at home, alongside an inside-sales hotline (0800 7090490) and the myPubliCare digital service portal available on iOS, Android, and web, which handles order placement, prescription upload, delivery tracking, and automated recurring deliveries. The business is operated under a DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 quality management system audited by mdc Medical Device Certification GmbH, with sector positioning via BVMed (Bundesverband Medizintechnologie) membership. The closely aligned sister brand noma-med shares infrastructure and clinical capabilities, and WissWerk provides certified continuing education for both internal staff and external healthcare professionals. The stated mission is holistic patient support that combines specialist consultation, personalized product selection, prescription-to-delivery logistics, and ongoing clinical monitoring across the hospital-to-home continuum.

Name

PubliCare

Legal name

PubliCare GmbH

Website

https://publicare-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

PubliCare GmbH is a Cologne-based German homecare distributor that supplies prescribed medical aids (stoma, incontinence, wound care) and nutritional therapy to patients across Germany via field nurse consultation, statutory insurance billing, and the myPubliCare digital portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home Healthcare Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Incontinence & Urological Supplies (Catheters, Briefs, Ostomy Supplies) (HSABAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catheter, Tracheostomy & Enteral Feeding (Tube Feeding) Home Care (HSABACAG), Continence Care Products (Adult Incontinence Pads/Briefs, Underpads, External Collectors) (HLAHALAH)

Keywords

• Home medical supplies
• Ostomy care products
• Incontinence care supplies
• Enteral nutrition therapy
• Wound care distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Medical Aids Supply (Hilfsmittelversorgung) — Stoma, Incontinence, Wound Care: PubliCare generates the majority of its revenue by supplying prescribed medical aids (Hilfsmittel) to patients at home or in care facilities. Products include stoma bags, incontinence pads/pants/catheters, wound dressings, and related consumables. Revenue is billed directly to statutory health insurers (gesetzliche Krankenkassen) on behalf of patients. Patients with a prescription pay a statutory co-payment (Zuzahlung) of typically 10% of the insurer-covered amount, capped at €10 per month for consumables. PubliCare also offers bundled Hilfsmittelpauschale (per-case rate) contracts with select insurers, simplifying billing for both parties.
2. Enteral & Parenteral Nutrition Supply: Supply of medically prescribed nutritional products including enteral nutrition (tube feeding), parenteral nutrition (IV nutrition), and oral nutritional supplements (Trinknahrung). These are billed separately from Hilfsmittel under different health insurer cost centers, as they are classified as Arzneimittel or Verbandmittel rather than medical aids. Revenue follows a prescription-based recurring model similar to the Hilfsmittel stream.
3. Professional Services & Training (WissWerk): WissWerk provides certified continuing education and training for external healthcare professionals (nurses, wound care specialists) and PubliCare staff. Courses cover wound management, nutrition therapy, stoma care, and continence management. Revenue from WissWerk training events is a secondary stream, supplemented by research collaborations (e.g., the MALGAT study on malnutrition in cancer patients).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PubliCare is a German HomeCare company that supplies prescribed medical aids (stoma bags and accessories, incontinence pads/pants/catheters, wound dressings) and nutritional therapy products (enteral tube feeding, parenteral IV nutrition, oral Trinknahrung) directly to patients' homes. The supply is combined with clinical consultation from specialist nurses (Pflegefachkräfte, Stomatherapeuten, Urotherapeuten) and a digital self-service platform (myPubliCare app/web) for recurring orders, prescription uploads, and delivery tracking.

Product overview

PubliCare is a German HomeCare company offering a unified product and service portfolio centered on medical supply distribution. The core offering consists of stoma products, incontinence products, nutrition products (parenteral, enteral, and drinking nutrition), wound care supplies, and pediatric care products—all delivered directly to patients' homes via prescription. The myPubliCare app and web portal serve as the digital interface, enabling customers to place orders, track shipments, upload prescriptions, and manage their account. Supporting services include customer consultation via hotline and video chat, as well as WissWerk professional training programs. The company operates under ISO 9001 certified quality management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• myPubliCare: Personal service platform and mobile app enabling patients to manage orders, track deliveries, upload prescriptions, and access account information.

Products and services

• myPubliCare App

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,000 medical aid articles from 20 manufacturers maintained in stock for same-day or next-day dispatch.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rollt. Magazine (Rollstuhlbasketball Bundesliga)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2024PubliCare entered an interview partnership with Rollt., the magazine for wheelchair basketball in Germany, at the start of the 2024–2025 RBBL (Rollstuhl Basketball Bundesliga) season. The partnership involves joint content production featuring player interviews, with the goal of building brand awareness and community engagement around disability and mobility topics relevant to PubliCare's patient base.
• Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg (An-Institut)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2024The An-Institut (affiliated institute) of Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg collaborated with WissWerk on a retrospective study examining the prevalence and impact of malnutrition in colorectal cancer patients. The study, presented at an online event in October 2024, showed significant correlations between nutritional status and complication rates/hospital length of stay. A follow-on study (MALGAT) is being developed on gastroenterological tumors and nutritional therapy outcomes.
• Klinikum Magdeburg / Darmkrebszentrum MagdeburgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2024Prof. Dr. Karsten Ridwelski, Chief Physician of the Clinic for General and Visceral Surgery and Head of the Colorectal Cancer Center at Klinikum Magdeburg, served as a speaker and clinical collaborator on the malnutrition study conducted with WissWerk and the Otto-von-Guericke University.
• noma-medcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnernoma-med and PubliCare operate as closely aligned companies under shared ownership and management. Both brands serve overlapping patient populations and combine their homecare expertise to provide integrated care. The collaboration focuses on patients with complex medical needs requiring stoma, incontinence, wound care, and nutritional support, with noma-med contributing additional clinical capabilities and shared infrastructure.
• WissWerkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWissWerk is PubliCare's educational and training platform offering certified continuing education courses for both PubliCare employees and external healthcare professionals. Topics include wound management, nutrition therapy, stoma care, and continence. WissWerk also conducts clinical research, including a multi-center study on malnutrition prevalence in colorectal cancer patients in partnership with the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.
• BVMed (Bundesverband Medizintechnologie)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPubliCare is a member of BVMed, the German Medical Technology Industry Association. Membership provides representation in industry policy discussions, access to sector standards and developments, and a platform for collaborative industry initiatives on behalf of homecare providers.
• mdc Medical Device Certification GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnermdc Medical Device Certification GmbH conducts the independent annual audit and certification of PubliCare's quality management system against DIN EN ISO 9001 standards. This third-party certification validates PubliCare's compliance with regulatory quality requirements for medical aids providers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• noma-med: Sister homecare company under shared ownership/management with PubliCare, providing overlapping stoma, incontinence, wound care, and nutritional services in Germany. Most directly comparable peer given identical patient populations and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• PAUL HARTMANN AG: German-headquartered medtech company with strong wound care, continence, and homecare portfolios sold across Europe. Comparable as a large German-speaking homecare medical supplies incumbent with overlapping product categories.
• Coloplast: Danish global leader in ostomy, continence, and wound care products with direct-to-consumer channels across Europe. Comparable as a vertically integrated competitor whose products flow through PubliCare's distribution network.
• Convatec: UK-based global medtech company focused on ostomy, advanced wound care, and continence. Comparable as a major manufacturer whose products are distributed through homecare channels like PubliCare's in Germany.
• Hollister Incorporated: US-headquartered manufacturer of ostomy and continence products, with established German distribution. Notable as the partner operating PubliCare's careers portal and a key supplier in PubliCare's product portfolio.
• B. Braun Melsungen AG: German family-owned medtech and pharma company with significant ostomy/continence and homecare offerings. Comparable as a large German incumbent in adjacent medical supply categories served by PubliCare.
• Fresenius Kabi: German-headquartered global provider of clinical nutrition (enteral, parenteral, oral supplements) and infusion therapy. Directly comparable on PubliCare's nutrition segment, including ambulatory parenteral nutrition (APAT) services.
• Baxter International: US-based global provider of parenteral nutrition, IV solutions, and home infusion therapies. Comparable on PubliCare's enteral/parenteral nutrition segment and ambulatory APAT services.

Emerging players

• Mölnlycke Health Care: Swedish global medtech company specializing in wound care and surgical solutions. Comparable on PubliCare's wound care product line where both compete for hospital and homecare channels in Germany.
• Smith & Nephew: UK-based global medtech company with strong advanced wound care portfolio. Comparable on the wound care portion of PubliCare's offering, supplying products that PubliCare distributes to German patients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCC_sGfkws6ZKhzvSElNO4Cw
• Facebookfacebook.com/publicaregmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/publicare-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/publicare.deutschland

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PubliCare